5/11/2013

Recalls in Colorado for state legislators who voted for more gun control

It turns out that a tax on obtaining a gun and a limit on magazine sizes may cost a few Democratic state legislators their jobs in Colorado. Getting signatures from 25 percent of the total vote in the last election in that district is a very difficult task. From Fox News:

Colorado Democratic lawmakers who recently helped pass some of the toughest gun-control laws in the country now face the political backlash of recall efforts.Two groups are targeting state Rep. Mike McLachlan and state Sens. Angela Giron, Evie Hudak and John Morse.The Democrat-controlled legislature passed bills that ban magazines holding more than 15 rounds and require background checks for all gun transfers. They were signed into law in March by Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper.Morse, the Senate president, pushed a more far-reaching proposal that called for holding owners, sellers and makers of assault-type weapons liable for havoc inflicted by their guns. . . .The petition drives are being organized by the organizations Pueblo Freedom and Rights Group. They will need signatures from 25 percent of the vote in each lawmaker’s district to trigger a special election. . . .

At least for one of the state Senators they appear to be on target for the recall. Here is part of an email that I received this morning.

I spoke to one of the guys leading the recall for Sen. Hudak this morning. He's says they are nearly on target for a successful effort so they are heavily recruiting more volunteers to make sure they win and finish strong. . . .

In the case of Sen. Evie Hudak 18,962 signatures are needed. Nor is it clear that so much time and money should be spent on recalling state Representative Mike McLachlan who is term limited and has to retire in 2014.The Denver Post lists two of these state Senators as the biggest losers of the most recent legislative session.

Sen. Evie Hudak. Similar to Salazar, the Westminster Democrat planted her feet firmly in her mouth during a hearing on the bill to ban concealed weapons on campus. Hudak told a victim of a rape who said she'd wished she'd been armed that "statistics are not on your side even if you had a gun" and that it was more likely the rapist would have used the gun on her. Though Hudak later apologized, the comments went viral and contributed to the death of the bill. It also spawned a recall petition against Hudak. Luckily for Hudak, though, the statistics are on her side when it comes to recall petitions, which are extreme longshots.Senate President John Morse. He sponsored an ill-defined liability-for-guns bill that couldn't muster support from his own Democratic caucus, and pushed a bill to grant tax credits to low-income Coloradans that was greatly watered down in the House. Morse also backed a telecommunications regulation bill and legislation allowing for the repeal of marijuana legalization that he couldn't find enough votes for. Meanwhile, his outspoken support of gun control prompted a recall effort against him — unlikely though it may be. . . .